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Chickpeas with Coconut Sauce (Shundal)

This past week, a friend came to visit me. Of course, I never can resist treating my visitors to some creations from my kitchen, especially when this guest was interested in some basic cooking instructions in addition to a meal. What a learning experience that turned out to be. I was rather surprised at how much I take for granted in the kitchen — experienced cook that I am, I rarely give much thought to the process of soaking beans, cooking temperatures, chopping methods, cooking times and other essentials.

In addition to serving some old favorites, like mung beans with paneer cheese, some new dishes appeared on the menu. My friend really likes beans and Indian flavors, so I turned to my new copy of 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer for some inspiration. The biggest challenge with this book is deciding on a recipe, packed as it is with straightforward and simple ideas. I finally decided upon a chickpea shundal. Shundals are moist curries that are usually made with whole legumes — often black chickpeas — and traditionally served during India's Festival of Lights and presented as an offering to Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning and knowledge. An appropriate choice, as this past week was all about sharing.

Rinse and soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to simmer, and cook until the chickpeas are soft — about 1 - 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.

If using dried coconut, reconstitute it by combining with 1/2 of boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain in a sieve, press out excess liquid, and set aside.

In another bowl, combine two cups of hot water with the tamarind. Let sit for 15 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid and discard the tamarind pulp.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the chana dal or split peas, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dried chilies. Stir and fry until the split peas and seeds turn reddish brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat with a slotted spoon and transfer to a spice grinder. Process until finely ground.

Return the pan to the heat and add the oil. When hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When they begin to turn grey and pop, add the cooked chickpeas to the pot, along with the salt, turmeric, asafetida and curry leaves. Stir a few times, add the tamarind water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in the ground spice mixture, the coconut, and chopped cilantro. Serve hot or warm.

Coconut sauce has a rich creamy flavor and it is perfect with spicy foods. Chick peas and coconut sauce is a good combination especially when you add it with regular herbs and spices found in your spice rack. Better have an organized kitchen / spice rack to have a more efficient kitchen.

Based in London, Ontario, a veteran vegetarian for 23 years serves up a collection of delicious culinary creations from her kitchen, with an emphasis on spicy Indian dishes and whole foods. If you want to know what sensible vegetarians eat, Lisa's Kitchen is the place to be.